A New Love
by ooxXXTakaraXXxoo
Summary: yes i know very original title! Set after Lady Knight, The Protector of the Small and Sir Meathead set off for their most dangerous adventure yet.... Raoul and Buri's Wedding! What horrors await them there?
1. Annoy Kel, Punish Neal

**Disclaimer: If the characters were mine, I'd have had kel and dom together in Lady Knight. Unfortunately for me they belong to the writing goddess who is Tamora Pierce, so I have stolen them briefly for my own purposes! :P**

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Lady Knight Keladry of Mindelan, so called Protector of the Small sat in the tall grass of a vast, rolling meadow. The sun was shining, and a warm breeze flowed around her, mussing her light brown hair. "Odd weather we're having for the beginning of September" she murmured softly, before sighing with contentment and lying down properly. She enjoyed the feeling of the long grass tickling her face and watched the clouds go by. "I could get used to this" she thought. After all, she _did_ deserve a break after her first eventful year of knighthood. How many other green knights were there who's first assignment had been to command a camp full of displaced refugees? How many had gone into enemy territory, after the afore mentioned refugees had been stolen from her, rescued them as well as simultaneously bring down the mage responsible for the deaths of hundreds, possibly thousands of Tortallan men, women and children over the past year? Zero. That's right, Kel deserved a break and now seemed as perfect a time as any.

But this peace was to be short lived. The grass, which had felt so nice before, now felt sharp. No, that wasn't the correct description. It was poking her. Repeatedly. On her right cheek. The breeze that had whispered to her before became harsh and seemed to speak. Kel strained to her it's words. What was that? "Get up"? Why would the wind want her to get up? Come to think of it, why did the wind's voice sound so much like Neal's?

She cracked her eye open and would have jumped out of her skin had it not been for her years of Yamani training. The face belonging to her best friend Sir Nealan "The Meathead" of Queenscove, was hovering inches above her own- not a sight one wants to see when one first wakes up. Kel placed her hand on his chest and pushed him so he sat back on his heels scowling. "You did this on purpose" he growled. Kel's head was still foggy with sleep. "Did what on purpose exactly?" she croaked and calmly reached for her water skin. Neal sighed and stood, raising his arms to the heavens in a perfect player's gesture. "THIS!" he proclaimed in outrage, "You have been getting up with the larks to play with that damned pigsticker of yours for over eight years now, and you choose today of _all_ days to _sleep in_" he hissed the last two words as if he had been spitting out venom.

Kel suddenly remembered where she was. She and Neal had set off from New Hope on a trip to Fort Steadfast in order to attend the wedding of Kel's former Knight Master, Sir Raoul of Goldenlake and Malorie's Peak and the Commander of the Queen's Riders Buriram Tourakom. Neal had been impatient to set off, as it became apparent his lady love Yukimi had also ridden to Steadfast, and he was eager to see her. Of course this meant random explosions of poetry and bursting into song on Neal's part, concealed urges to backhand Neal around Kel's the whole ride there. If Kel had been honest with herself, she knew they could have made the journey without an overnight stop. She liked to think, for that split moment, just after Neal had almost walked in on her latrine break at dusk to hurry her along, that Peachblossom's spirit had possessed her. She had insisted that both Hoshi and Magewhisper were both tired and needed a night to recover after their hard days ride. She insisted to herself that this break in the journey had not in any way anything to do with the fact she wanted to punish/torture Neal for the torture he had forced her to endure for the past eight or so hours in the saddle.

Now Kel discovered that her revenge had backfired, for this action seemed to have enraged her friend even more and had increased the frequency of his declarations of undying love for his "Yamani Blossom". Kel scrambled out of her bedroll and watched, bemused, as Neal rolled it up, shoved her belongings into Hoshi's side saddle and hurled her boots at her with more force then was necessary. She felt as if she was a small child, being told off for some sort of wrongdoing. To fit the role, she sulkily walked over to Hoshi and mounted her. She mock glared at Neal and kicked her horse into a gallop. She laughed as she heard Neal's scandalised screech and patted Hoshi's neck fondly. "Well if he's in such a hurry" she grinned and urged Hoshi to go faster. They continued at this pace until they spotted a proud stone building at the bottom of the valley. "Fort Steadfast!" Kel exclaimed as they stopped for a quick break. "My Lady Love!" Neal cried in the same tone. Kel rolled her eyes and urged Hoshi into a trot.

"In ten minutes or so, I'll get to see Dom" the realisation suddenly hit her. She encouraged Hoshi to go faster- she couldn't let Neal see that she was blushing now could she?

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A/N Okay so I did I do on the first chapter of my first fanfic. Reviews would be nice- just to see how I'm doing and I promise to respond to all! Feel free to give me some ideas of where you want the story to go- I only know where I want it to end.... how I get there is another matter! Also if anyone would like to beta for me (I do try to proof read it myself- but sometimes you just miss mistakes in your own writing you know?) pm me or something, for I would be eternally grateful! Also, is it just me or is this chapter really short- tell me and I'll try to do longer next time!

Takara


	2. Dom's Musings

Woop! I was so happy when I looked in my inbox to discover people had put my story on alert. Thank you! And I got two reviews too! So I would like to give a special thank you to **Clouds of Sapphire** for your advice- I will definitely take it on board! I'm just used to my English teacher screaming at me for skipping lines in dialogue, so I'll break that habit! And also a thank you to **BrokenFaerie16- **your review made me smile! I will definitely keep writing! Nothing annoys me more when I'm reading a fic and it's just been left with no ending. So enjoy for now!

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"They're late" Sergeant Domitan of Masbolle muttered, leaning against the front parapet of Fort Steadfast. Kel and Sir Meathead were supposed to have arrived at the fort sometime in the early evening yesterday, and there was still no sign of either of them early this morning.

"Fretting for the Lady Knight again, Dom?" asked Wolset slyly, peering at his superior through the corner of his eye. Dom elbowed his insubordinate corporal and growled something which sounded terrifyingly like "latrine duty for a month". He was exhausted from taking the evening watch with an overly awake Wolset, and was willing the bell to chime for the start of the day and the end of his shift. Not that he would actually go to bed until the Lady Knight arrived of course, but it would be good to change into fresh clothes and eat something before she arrived.

Yes, he had to admit that his thoughts these days had been wandering more and more often towards a certain Keladry of Mindelan, a woman who had won the respect and love of so many people since she became the first recognised Lady page for over a century. He had admired her even before he had met her- she was someone who had fought against the will, prejudices and not to mention fists of many a conservative through her page training and he had found he had correctly bestowed his admiration on her when he saw her in the field during her squire years.

But it was during her knighthood that Dom's feelings of respect and esteem had evolved into something more. Not love exactly- for it was too early for love, but an attraction that grew and grew as he had travelled alongside her on her quest for her precious refugees in Scanra. It was a feeling so different to anything he had experienced before, and, now that the war was coming to an end, he wanted to take advantage of their time together and get to know her off the battlefield too.

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"Eight o'clock and all is well!" came the cry of the bell tower, knocking Dom out of his reverie. Wolset shot him another knowing glance and started to descend the stairs. Dom grimaced and followed suit. He had hoped that what was going on in his head and his heart wasn't so obvious to his peers, but obviously not.

"Damn, if even Wolset has suspicions the whole fort, if not the whole district knows" Dom growled to himself as he reached the corridor Third Company resided.

"Who knows what now?" a booming cheerful voice enquired from behind him. Dom jumped a foot in the air, he's eyes identifying the man as Sir Raoul of Goldenlake and Malorie's Peak, Commander of the King's Own.

"Sir, as an enforcer of the laws of the realm you should know it's illegal to be so cheerful at this hour in the morning", Dom groaned, hoping to steer the conversation away from what would be a very awkward topic. He was too exhausted to fabricate a random lie. To his elation, Raoul laughed merrily. "well done Dom" mentally sighing with relief, Dom leaned against the stone wall.

"What's there not to be cheerful about? The war is coming to an end, the king wants Third Company to stay in the field instead of going back to the capital and I'm getting married next week to the woman I love" Raoul literally sang the last part.

"No cold feet for you then Milord?" Dom wanted to know

"Oh I'm sure the panic will set in the night before" Raoul chuckled amiably. "Anyway you are just the man I wanted to see! No sign of Kel yet?"

"No" replied Dom, trying to keep the worry out of his voice. "Lerant and one of the army fellows just took over the watch though"

"I think We'll give it a couple of hours before we send out a search party," Raoul said jokingly, though it was apparent he was slightly apprehensive too- the last time Kel hadn't arrived to her appointed destination on time, she had ended up behind enemy lines with nought but her glaive and animals to protect her. "She'll turn up eventually- she's just probably disposing of young Queenscove's body before she gets here!"

Dom laughed at the thought of Kel finally snapping and murdering his cousin. This laughter was short-lived however, when Raoul handed him a stack of papers and reports to write before making a swift exit. "Oh well, at least I'll have something to take my mind off the waiting" Dom thought as he unlocked his door and unceremoniously dumped his sword belt on the floor and sank onto his soft bed with a grateful sigh.

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Dom had bathed, eaten and then promptly fallen asleep over his reports when he was awoken by the trumpets calling out the correct note sequence for "friend". He bolted to the door and slammed it open, before realising he should behave like a member of the respected King's Own, not a lovesick teenager. It still took all his self-control not to pelt down the corridor and into the keep to meet his cousin and potential love interest. He stopped just before the corner to calm himself and gazed into a nearby water bucket to make sure he didn't have ink splattered on his face from his unsuccessful report writing session. "All right" he murmured and stepped into the keep.

He smiled. There she was.

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A/N ack sorry this is shorter then the first chapter, but that seemed like a good place to end it and I wanted the next scene (which I already have plotted out in my head) to be in Kel's POV. You are getting this chapter early (my original plan was to get a chapter out every Friday until it was finished) because I have a MAHOOSIVE lab report in for Friday and just got given another equally MAHOOSIVE (god I'm so northern lol) research paper for the Friday after that, so it's best to update now and I'll try for another over the weekend, whilst I'm procrastinating over that!

Please review! You have no how idea of how happy they make me!

Takara


	3. Rings of Fire lead to more than scars

**Okay, I now officially love you all! I'd just got back from being shouted at by a very horrible woman in the finance department and opening my inbox to discover a bunch a reviews and story alerts really cheered me up! To** _Fantasygirl16_**- I tried to double space it but it merged my paragraphs together :( I don't think the paragraphs in this chapter are too long, as there's a lot more dialogue, so hopefully it's easier to read...**

**Also I still need a beta- You might have noticed, but I can't always find my own mistakes so a beta would be a godsend!**

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Though so far Kel had spent most of her knighthood manning a refugee camp, Fort Steadfast felt familiar to her. Perhaps it was because she knew Third Company was stationed here, and so memories from her squirehood came flooding back to her now as she dismounted Hoshi. Being in this place made her cast her mind back to the building of Fort Giantkiller. Of the tricks the men would play on Lord Raoul. Lerant's scowl. Wolset falling in a trench he had only finished digging mere seconds before. Dom's smile. How Kel adored Dom's smile! No matter how tired and miserable Kel became, one smile off him and she suddenly felt lighter then air.

She didn't have long to wait to see it again. As she cast her eyes around the keep, her gaze settled on a lone figure leaning casually against the stone wall. The man in question wore a navy blue tunic bearing the emblem of the royal house with navy breeches tucked into black boots- the uniform of the King's Own. The band he bore on his biceps marked him as a Sergeant. He cut his dark hair slightly longer then most soldiers', so his fringe flopped over his eyes, giving him a permanent just- fallen-out-of-bed look. Kel was sure if she was standing closer to him she would be able to see the shades of cobalt and sapphire in his eyes.

But there it was, in all it's glory. The smile.

Kel hadn't realised until now how much she'd longed for it. She had used up most of her self-control on stopping herself from gagging Neal, so it took much effort to stop herself from sprinting across the courtyard to hug his cousin. The contented herself with a small wave instead. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw his smile grow into a grin. She fought to keep her cheeks from blushing as he made his way towards her.

"Dom!" Neal cried from behind her and strode forward to grasp Dom's hands then embrace him. Kel smiled fondly at the pair. For all they bickered and argued constantly, they really didcare for one another.

"You're late, Meathead," Dom said as they pulled away from each other.

"I have told you, insubordinate wretch," growled Neal in annoyance, "That it is _Sir_ Meathead to you!" He grinned. "It's Kel's fault anyway."

Kel had been daydreaming by this point. The sound of her name brought her back to the real world. With a glance in Dom's direction she discovered that his gaze had settled on her at that same moment. Their eyes met and Kel was lost.

_He's as handsome as I remember,_ she thought. This was a relief. He could still make her legs go to jelly with one look. All Kel's other crushes had faded when she had been separated from the significant other for a length of time. She was glad it was different with Dom. She also noticed that Dom had obtained a small scar over his right eye. It made him look even more handsome then ever, if that was possible. Kel once again joined the real world when Dom broke eye contact to raise an eyebrow at Neal.

"Somehow I think that is extremely unlikely Nealan." Dom drawled. "What did you do? Fall down a quarry and had to have our Lady Knight rescue you? Personally I would have left you there..." he was cut off by Neal launching at him and trying to secure him in a headlock. Of course this failed and it was Neal who found himself trapped underneath his cousin's arm. Kel lost the battle to remain Yamani calm and giggled at the pair.

"I told you," Neal's voice was muffled as his face was crushed between Dom's arm and body. "It was Kel's fault! We stopped for a break and-" he was interrupted by a someone clearing their throat quietly. Kel turned and Dom released Neal, who stood up rubbing his neck and trying to straighten his clothes.

"And what, pray tell, is going on here?" Lady Yukimi asked imperiously to the three.

"Um, well, we were just....." Neal gave up trying to explain and gathered up his future wife in a tight embrace. Yuki swatted him away and brought out her fan, flipping it out over her face to hide her embarrassment.

"You're late, Nealan" she stated.

"It was Kel's fault" Neal replied automatically.

"Unlikely" Yuki's eyes narrowed.

"The injustice of it all!" wailed Neal, putting his hands over his face. "It was too!" he ended lamely, sounding like a five-year old child. Yuki sighed in exasperation and grabbed Neal's sleeve, pulling him towards the corridor on the west side of the courtyard.

"I'll talk to you later, Kel" Yuki said as she dragged Neal past. Kel and Dom had both watched this interaction with amusement. Kel was smiling and shaking her head whilst Dom was laughing.

"Those two...." Dom said, shaking his head after he'd contained himself. "Was it really your fault Kel?" he asked curiously. Kel looked at him, feeling suddenly sheepish.

"Well it depends on which way you look at it..." she faltered as Dom gave her another enquiring look. _There should be laws against looking so good,_ she thought.

She continued. "Well you know what Neal's like, Dom!" Then it all came flooding out. "He was going on and on and on about seeing Yuki again! He was reciting poetry.... and... and the singing! Oh gods the singing!" She didn't notice Dom was shaking with suppressed mirth by this point.

"It sounded like a cat being pushed backwards through a mangle!" Dom laughed outright at that. Kel smiled ruefully and began to laugh herself.

"So what did you do?" Dom asked, wiping tears from his eyes.

"Well he walked in on me when I was," Kel reddened and paused, trying to find the right words, "washing up... and I may have.... lost my temper somewhat..." she trailed off.

Dom once again raised his eyebrow "You lost your temper?" he asked dubiously. "I wasn't aware you had one to lose milady."

Kel elbowed him and continued. "Well to cut a long story short I decided he should be punished for what he put me through, and so I insisted that the horses needed a rest so we would set up camp for the night."

Dom gave her a look which indicated he didn't think that was much of a punishment. "And did it work?"

Kel grimaced. "No, it only made it worse!" she groaned and tried not to physically shiver as Dom laughed once more and slung his arm round her shoulders, leading her to the corridor where she would be sleeping- an errand boy had picked up her belongings when she first arrived.

"Poor Lady Kel!" Dom exclaimed. "The things you do have to go through! I bet you've just had the longest ride of your life- and that's including the one to Scanra!" They stopped outside her new quarters and Dom turned to face her. They stood there for a time, both feeling awkward. Kel needed to brake the silence. To her own and Dom's surprise, she lifted her hand to reach up and touch the scar above his eye.

"New scar, Sergeant?" she asked. For some reason, she couldn't take her hand away. It felt pleasantly like warm coals where their skin touched. To her delight, Dom didn't pull away from her. In fact, if Kel didn't know any better, she could have sworn he was blushing slightly.

It was now Dom's turn to look sheepish.

"Well... officially I got it whilst wrestling a seven-foot tall bear of a Scanran in our last skirmish..." he began, obviously reluctant to tell Kel the real story.

"But unofficially..?" Kel prodded, not letting the subject drop.

"Unofficially, I was playing Ring of Fire with the lads," Kel grinned. She had a feeling she knew where this was going.

"And well... it was my turn, and I got a "seven", but I was sat in milord's big rocking chair...." he stopped as he realised for the second time that day, Kel was once again reduced to helpless giggles. She finally moved to take her hand away from his face, and would have done, had Dom not grabbed it as she tried to lower it to her side.

"It's not funny Kel," he told her loftily. "I had a concussion" He mock-glared at her as she laughed even harder.

"D...Dom...you... you sounded just like... just like Neal!" she finally spluttered.

Dom let out a cry of outrage and squeezed Kel's hand tight as he drew he closer so she was fully pressed against him. Kel felt sweet panic rise inside her chest, as she was all too aware of how close they were.

"How. Very. Dare. You. Kel," he mummered, voice dangerously (yet delightfully) low. She could feel his warm breath on her face. She shivered. "Such comparison mortally offends me, Miss. How do you plan to make it up to me?"

Kel opened her mouth to reply, but nothing came out. She knew Dom was taking obvious pleasure out of this, and she came to a conclusion she had never reached before. All this time she had thought this crush had been one sided, but maybe, just maybe there was the possibility that.... They both sprang apart at the sound of footsteps. Dom's face had definitely reddened and Kel could feel by the heat resonating of her face that hers was too.

"Ah Dom! I was in a meeting- you could have told me Kel had arrived!"

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**A/N Dom's "Ring of Fire" incident was me drawing on my personal experience from Friday night. For those of you who don't know what "Ring of Fire" is, it is a card/drinking game us alcoholic students play when we want to get even more drunk then usual.**

**Basically, each card stands for a different action. A "7" means the last person to stand on their chair has to take a shot. This is particularly difficult to do when a) you lost the first round and thus, had to chug a pint of vodka/beer/wine/whiskey and b) you are sat on a computer swivel chair or in Dom's case, rocking chair.**

**Pffft at least I let Dom have a schmexy scar (perfect excuse for Kel to touch him I say)- I have a hideous bruise on my forehead and my kitchen door has a huge me-shaped dent in it. Lol. Twas hilarious at the time though!**

**Anyway, I ramble. Bad Dom! He'll be kicking himself in the next chapter... I wasn't planning on them getting that close this chapter but oh well... I was shaking my fists at the interrupter at the end anyway! And Kel! I know it may seem a little ooc for her to be laughing like that, but the way I see it, she can't be a stone Yamani all the time. Plus its Dom making her laugh. How can you fall in love with someone if they didn't know how to make you smile?**

**Also I hope everyone who reviewed got my reply! If not, just shout at me- didn't mean to ignore anybody!**

**Review ( I'd like to get up to 15 before my next update) and pm me if you would like to beta (hint hint)!!!!**

**Takara**


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